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Friday, November 11, 2011

Cozy Guest Friday: Rachel Brimble + Giveaway

Welcome to this week’s edition of
Cozy Guest Friday! Today’s victim…*ahem* special guest is Rachel Brimble,
author of Paying the Piper, available
now from Lyrical Press...

Nightclub manager Grace Butler is on
a mission to buy the pub where her mother's ashes are scattered but the owner
wants to sell to anyone but her. And that owner happens to be her father...who
has a secret she will do anything to discover.

Social worker and all around good guy
Jimmy Betts needs funds to buy a house for three special kids before their care
home closes. Time is running out and he's desperate for cash. He agrees to to a
one-time 'job' for bad-man Karl Butler. But in a sudden turn of events, Jimmy
finds himself employed by Karl's beautiful, funny and incredibly sexy daughter,
Grace.

Their lives couldn't be more
different, yet one thread binds them: they're both trying to escape the bonds
of their fathers. Maybe the only way they'll be free is by being together,
instead of alone.

Stay tuned for a sneak peek into Paying the Piper! We go now again to our Cozy
correspondent Tink, live from a lounge chair on her favorite tropical island of PutSomeRumin’it
along with a few of her swashbuckling friends. Take it away, Tink…

*luau music*

Tink: Hello, Cozies! I’d like to take
this time to point out that the island natives have appointed me their queen so
I should herein be addressed as “Her Majesty.” J

It’s a sunny day here on WanaLuvaPir’ate
Beach. Jack believes that since I have named him my official consort he should
no longer have to man the tiki bar....

Tink: Ah, no matter!Rachel, if you were a cocktail, what
would you be and why?

Rachel: Rum and diet coke – Rum
because I’d love to live somewhere hot and sultry with white sands and blue sea
and diet coke because I’m a traditional kind of girl too. Does that make any
sense at all, lol?!

Tink: Of course it makes sense – and most
appropriate considering PutSomeRumin’it meets all your qualifications! Now for a game of
Desert Island. Ready? If you were stuck on a desert island and could bring only
one of the following…what would they be? Person? Song? Book?

Rachel: Person – This feels so unfair
because I’ve got two kids who I’d love there too BUT for the sake of romance, I
will say my husband. He’s still my best friend after 19 years together and know
he’d always make me laugh.

Song – “She” by Elvis Costello (my
favorite song EVER!)

Book – Because I’d want a hefty tome
that I could read again and again, I’ll say Gone
With The Wind. I have made a ceremony of reading the book every 10 years
since my 15th birthday. So far I have read it three times – the next
due date is 2019!

Tink: Excellent choice! Rhett Butler
was my second choice for official consort…but alas, Jackie charmed the title out of me. Now for a bit
about your book. What are the first words your hero speaks to your heroine (or
vice versa)?

Rachel: “What are you--” (my heroine)

“Doing
rummaging around in your rubbish?” (my hero)

From Paying
The Piper

Tink: Intriguing! Would you define
your hero as an alpha or a beta? Why?

Rachel: Jimmy is most definitely beta
– I can’t even write alpha heroes, I’m afraid. As I don’t find alpha men that
attractive in the real world, I find them incredibly hard to write in the
imaginary one. I love a hero who is the whole physical package on the outside
but softer in the center. That’s makes a real man to me rather than a guy going
around shouting the odds!

Rachel: Naked in bed with Jimmy –
door shut, wine opened, old movie on the TV and her father and the business
far, far away.

Tink: I could relate
to Grace. What is your favorite thing about each character?

Rachel: Grace (my heroine) – her
tenacity and her undying loyalty to her mother. I admire her in ways I never
knew I would when I was creating her. She has a tough job but is able to look
after her loved ones at the same time.

Jimmy (my hero) – his pride. Rather
than being a sin in Jimmy, it’s his essence. He takes pride in his work, his
kids (he’s a social worker in charge of several homeless children) and his
decisions. He bows down to no one and I really like that in a man. He gets what
he wants through hard work and consideration. Yes, I am in love with him… J

Tink: Now for a more in-depth look at
the author… *puts on her smart glasses* I will now ask you a round of nosy and
nonsensical questions developed by Bernard Peevo and used by James Lipton on Inside the Actor’s Studio…. Brace
yourself J
What’s your favorite word? Least favorite?

Rachel: Possibility- Favorite

Prejudice - Least

Tink: What sound or noise do you
love? Hate?

Rachel: Noise I love – my kids
belly-laughing

Noise
I hate – my kids fighting!

Tink: What’s your favorite curse word?

Rachel: I honestly don’t curse a lot
(I leave that for hubby!) – “Crap” is usually enough for me to vent my
frustration, lol!

Tink: We have that in common, Rachel…though
Jack mostly keeps his cursing to bugger. What profession other than yours
would you like to attempt?

Rachel: Editing – I quite fancy the idea
of getting to read all those stories first and helping writers craft it into a
bigger and better story. That must be such a fantastic motivation for getting
up every day J

Tink: There, that wasn’t so bad, was
it? Now, just in time for our weekly luau, let’s share a sneak peak from Paying the Piper with the Cozies back
home….

She sat bolt upright. “Where are you
going?”

“To the soup kitchen. Four of my kids
have been helping out down there today, so if you don’t need me ‘til seven--”

“Can I come?”

“What?”

“What?” Gerald echoed.

Jimmy stared at her. Was she serious?
But knew he wouldn’t refuse her when her eyes were wide with that damn innocent
doe-eyed look again and her cheeks flushed pink. He swallowed, clenched his
hands into fists inside his pockets.

“You want to come to the soup kitchen?”
he asked, hoping against hope he’d gotten the wrong end of the proverbial
stick.

She winked, and it had as much the
same effect as if she’d wrapped her hand around his penis. “Why not?”

He opened his mouth. Shut it. Opened
it, took a breath, but still nothing came out. Her smile widened. “Cat got your
tongue, Jimmy Boy?”

Just a few short days ago at her
mother’s pub, he’d wanted to ravish her, possess her, let her know what she did
to him. And now the same desire coursed through his veins again. She never
stopped surprising him and it just added more fuel to the already burning fire.

“And why would you want to do that?”
he asked.

“Beats going into the club early,”
she said, brushing past him.

She wandered across the room. Her
slender body sashaying around the furniture and then her piece de resistance
was to snake all five feet nine inches of it across the oblong dining table to
grab her bag--the sight of her perfect ass and even better legs sent Jimmy’s senses
skyrocketing. His nostrils flared. Grace by name, Grace by nature. She was
beautiful, sexy, funny, and he didn’t doubt for one minute she knew exactly
what the sight of her did to him.

She turned around and hitched the bag
onto her shoulder. “My life is sad. I’ve got nothing else planned for the
afternoon. Come on, Jimmy, help me show my father I have a life away from him.
Even if it is a complete lie, for now.”

He threw his hands in the air.
“Fine.”

Tink: And the final questions Jack
has been waiting all day to ask…. If you could choose anyone in the world to be
the captain of your…er…ship…who would it be? J

Rachel: My husband – without sounding
corny, he is the best man in the world. Seriously.

Tink: I sense a theme here with romance writers and their husbands ;) Which savvy piece of the
Caribbean would you most like to take home – the Black Pearl, the Dead Man’s
Chest, or the Fountain of Youth?

Rachel: Is this a good place to admit
I’ve never watched any of the movies only trailers? Shall I tip-toe out of here
now…

Tink: Not at all! I’m glad I could introduce
you. *lowers voice* Though we won’t tell Jack. J Would you rather take your chances with a zombie, a mermaid, or Blackbeard?

Rachel: A mermaid – has to be better
odds of survival, doesn’t it? Yes? No?

Tink: Mermaids can be avoided if, as
Georgie pointed out last week, one stays out of the water – so very wise choice
on your part.

And most importantly…Captain Jack
Sparrow, Will Turner or Commodore Norrginton? ;)

Rachel: In any other role it would be
my boy Johnny but as Sparrow, not so much. I’ll take Will, thank you very much J

Tink: Ah, Will – Amber will be
pleased he made a cameo on WannaLuvaPir'ate this week….

Tink: And now we hula! From PutSomeRumin’it…this
is Tink, Rachel, and Jack signing off….

Thank
you to Tink (and Jack, of course) for another great interview. And to Rachel for answering Tink's nonsensical questions.
She does love nosing around. And so glad I’ve found another lady who would choose Will Turner over Jack
Sparrow…though I will admit it can be a difficult decision at times....

Rachel lives with her
husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.She started writing short stories about eight
years ago but once her children were at school, she embarked on her first novel.
It was published in 2007. Since then, she’s had several books published with
The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press and Lyrical Press.She recently acquired a US agent with her
second Victorian historical. A member of the Romantic Novelists Association and
Romance Writers of America, Rachel hopes to have a further two novels, one
contemporary and one Victorian published in 2012. When she isn’t writing,
you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English
countryside with her family. Her dream
place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England. And in the
evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused… Find out
more about Rachel at her website, blog, Twitter, and Facebook!

***Cozies, for this week's discussion - do you prefer your heroes alphas or betas?

****GIVEAWAY: For one lucky commenter
today Rachel is generously offering a free download of the winner’s choice from
her backlist, including her most recent release, Paying the Piper! Enter before midnight EST tomorrow evening for a
chance to win and be sure to check back in Sunday morning to see if you have
won….

(Must be 18 years or older to enter;
chances of winning depend on the number of entries.)

7 comments:

Excellent interview, Ladies - and Jack. It was so good I'll even forgive Rachel for not watching the Pirates movies. (I've seen them so many times, I can quote them - and frequently do. LOL) Anyway, Tink, it was a fun and fresh interview. Gotta love it! :)

Lovely interview. Jack ((aka Johnny D) gets my vote every time. Thanks to Rachel... and Tink...and Amber. How can you not want to drown in those soooo brown eyes that seem to glisten more than the sea! And much more when he's up to somehting!

Alpha or beta? Hmm. I do love the idea of a strong, silent, alpha type, as long as he has a touch of sensitivity as well - but in real life I guess the Beta hero would be the best bet, I think alphas could be rather hard work!

Will Turner always! Brave, loyal, passionate, great swordsman and very handsome. What else the girl need? He is the reason why I became Orlando Bloom's and POTC fan. Norringotn is a good choice too but Will is AMAZING! :)

Tink and company always deliver. As usual, I enjoyed placing my blanket on the sand and learning the details. As I am currently reading Paying the Piper, in between bouts of bashing my head against NaNo word counts, I can attest that Grace could handle herself on board The Pearl, and Jimmy would have no trouble elbowing Will aside in the smooth hero dept.

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